Marine Reserve Lt. Col. Kurt Wheeler, of Cazenovia, works with the Marine Corps' History Division. In civilian life, he teaches history at Cazenovia High School.

For four months in 2006 and 2007, Wheeler traveled around Anbar province in western Iraq, interviewing 425 people -- mostly Marines, some Iraqi military leaders and a U.S. State Department official. He heard combat stories, strategy explanations, stories about frustrations and successes. He gathered documents, maps and plans that be brought back to the Marine Corps History division headquarters at Quantico, Va., where material is archived and available for public research.

Read more about Wheeler from The Post-Standard's Dave Tobin in the May/June issue of "The Good Life, Central New York Magazine," available at newsstands across Central New York.